Repurpose your Old Hard drives with the Mediasonic ProBox 4 bay (HF2-SU3S2)

[@DigitalSinVFX]

Best review I've found in YT about this item. You keep it simple, precise and short. Thanks a lot!

[@TKBay]

thank you for the support.

[@Super80sMan]

I just got one of these. I'm shucking WD Easystore 10 TB drives I get on sale from Bestbuy and throwing them in this so I don't have to deal with 4 different power adapters. I'm using them as storage for Plex. Plus the built in fan is really nice.

[@SandbagG45]

Did this work?

[@Super80sMan]

@@SandbagG45 Yes. I've been using it reliably for the past couple of years now. The only thing is I found that I have to leave the front door of the bay open or at least cracked an inch or so when I have 4 drives in it, or else they tend to run hot.

[@pummisher1186]

This is a great enclosure. I use it with Stablebit DrivePool to combine multiple hard drives to appear as one. You may run into problems if you use e-sata because some motherboards can't read all four drives and the box will only show you the first drive.

[@bertnijhof5413]

I repurposed 4 drives with 1.21 TB (2 x IDE 3.5" 250 + 320 GB and 2 x SATA 2.5" 2 x 320 GB). I installed those in a Compaq EVO Tower with a 2003 Pentium 4 HT (3.0 GHz) and 1280 MB DDR. It has 2 cables 1 Gbps Ethernet and power. It runs FreeBSD 12.2 (Unix) on ZFS and it receives the incremental backups from my desktop running Ubuntu (Linux) also with ZFS. The P-IV stores ~900 GB of compressed data (uncompressed ~1.5 TB). Everything is repurposed, I only did buy a new 600W iTech power-supply for $15. The system is in use for

[@ikeandesranow]

I normally "skip-watch" review videos;) I hate when something should take 5 minutes takes 15 minutes. But when I did that to your video, I missed lots of good info:))) Thank you so much not milking your videos with bunch of crazy talk:)))) Great video.

[@SnemanjeporokeEu]

That little door behind are from different models (with two drives) that have micro switch for enabling/disabling sync to USB cable. This model have it in front via button. I have ICYBOX branded box for 4 HDD and 2 HDD and apart from slight enclosure desing it seems the internals are the same. Same drive levers, same latch, same back design and fan.

[@MCAQUIN0]

That was great. I was not liking mine because it kept shutting off when I leave my pc on but you clarified it. Thank you

[@shamanhealer6039]

Just what i was looking for. Thanks for the no BS presentation.

[@geraldprix3277]

I have RAID Fantec box like this one and it's GREAT! I should buy another one (a new version for bigger hard drives).

[@Petrucius]

I am currently considering to buy the one from Fantec. The only thing that is stopping me is the noise which is kinda strong from what I've read. What do you think, is it too noisy? Does the lowest fan speed help?

[@chemicallust77]

I got a slightly older version on FB marketplace for $50...I really like it...very handy

[@thedailyclatter7125]

Now that you've had this for a while have you experienced any of the overheating issues with the hard drives? And secondly if you use eSATA does it see all four hard drives at once like USB? Or do you have to get an eSata expansion card for your PC that allows you to see all four drives?

[@vicentcarro]

I use Rocketraids cheapest raid expansion card from Rocketraid 6xx I guess and it works fine

[@ronaldparkeri2148]

Just got mine, love your video easy and to the point. However what do you do if a drive won't seat properly. It's also new 6 TB Seagate enterprise. Can't get it to plug in. My 2.5 adapted case plugged in fine. Don't want to push too hard.???

[@whimsicalcellbooster]

Good review . How can i switch fans? The stockfan is pretty loud. Wanted to switch to a Noctua 80mm but the case has a micro 2pin connector and most fans have standard 3 pins. Which tools do i need? Can anyone help? Thanks!!!

[@markowen8725]

Yes the fan is noisy but it is not the fan itself that is noisy, it is vibration from the way it is installed. It is easily fixed. I had some silicone fan fasteners laying around of which i cut the flat ends off and sat them between the fan and the casing. Vibration all but eliminated and now i can barely hear it.

[@ComputerGuyAndy]

Someone gave this to me new in the box, never used. Have you tried using it as a NAS?

[@djcsound]

what exactly is the interface button for? I pushed it by mistake and I don't know how to turn it off.

[@mauricehinton5889]

Is there a way to minimize that buzzing or humming noise when the enclosure is powered on? I thought it was the fan, but it's not.

[@gopolarisstudio]

Thank you so much for getting to the point. Love this style. Question: How would you go about making a drive accessable on a local network?

[@TKBay]

this one would either need to be connected to your router and share it that way ( if you router supports that USB drive sharing) if not using a PC that is connected to the network and sharing it as a network drive. hope that helps

[@robr.d.z5324]

Hey i have a question. I have some seagate external hard drives that I use on my smart tv to watch movies from. Using (usb 3.0 ) Would I be able to connect this through my tv as well to watch my movies?

[@TKBay]

technically yes, if you TV has a good navigation system for file management. if not then I recommend a plex server on your PC and connect over Wifi

[@Ebaldacc]

Where does one find an updated firmware for this ProBox? Would appreciate any links/pointers are there doesn't seem to be anything on the website which seems broken when you try and click on the drive for information. Thanks in advance...

[@joeyshiver]

Great video. I have 1 question, I know it will not raid. Can I combine all HDD's into one large one if I don't care about having redundancy?

[@TKBay]

If you are talking about Spanned Drives then yes you should be able to do that.

[@joeyshiver]

Sounds good. Thanks.

[@kawikajones9436]

I just purchased the 8 Bay Mediasonic Probox H82-SU31C (non-raid). Having issues with it reading some of my external HD's. This version can use 16TB disks. I have only put in HD's of 8TB or less. For some reason after I shuck some of these HD's and place into the bays, they read as unformated and the space that is used shows up as unallocated space. Example: 1 of the drives is pretty full of movies and it still shows up as unallocated space when I look at it in my Disk Manager. When I take that HD out of the Probox and connect back to the original board from the External HD, it works fine when plugging directly into my computer. I have all Seagate External Hard drives. What would be causing this issue? Do I need to do something with the pins on the HD like cover one of them? Before I shuck any more of my external HD's to put into the Probox, I would like to find out what this issue is and how to correct it.

[@times2fxp]

Does this support SAS Hard drives?

[@BoopSnoot]

Found one of these for $80, but you can't even do basic things like turn this into a single drive through software JBOD in windows?

[@shinmusashi44]

Will non-sata hdd work on this? My WB hdd don't have a sata connector, only usb connector.

[@TKBay]

if you open the case you will see the Sata connector, it wont connect usb it needs the sata connectors

[@shinmusashi44]

TK Bay WD external 4tb drives don't have a data connector. If you open it, it's only a usb connector.

[@josebonilla9431]

I bought this and I have them connected to 4 other drives in a softraid configuration (esata). My only gripe is that the led lights are way too bright and can not be turned off. Oh it works on linux too.

[@TheWorstGamerr]

6 years later still working fine?

[@alexanderslee]

You don't show how the insert/eject function of drive works. Not sure if it's trayless.

[@TKBay]

+Alexander Lee it has trays for each drive

[@sirbubber]

Will it work with the Nas server. I have a a Qnap nas where I want to extend

[@TKBay]

you can use it as external storage to the Qnap but you cannot extend the internal storage with it

[@scristaldi1]

Problem with Mediasonic is their total lack of support. Before you buy try to get in touch with their support. Need a part? Need some support? Forget about it.

[@mksteezy]

Is there any speed difference between having them internally vs using the Probox connected using usb 3.0?

[@TKBay]

The sipped will be small unless you go ssd, otherwise you are better off with the external drive

[@liamobrian9642]

wow am loving this am ready to make one ? how dose it connect to main pc

[@kamikaze00007]

Can this be used as a substitute for say 4 portable external hdds? Like, put four internal drives in this enclosure and use them as four normal drives for storage on your pc consuming only one USB port? I'm not exactly looking for RAID or cloned backups but I need huge space storage for years and years of accumulated files.

[@markowen8725]

Yes this enclosure holds 4 hard drives which appears in windows as 4 drives and only requires one USB port and one power plug

[@Richb711]

Are you using desktop hdd instead of nas drives. If so have you noticed any errors with desktop hdd's

[@TKBay]

Yes I used older HDD, just because I have them around. No issues but these are not on all the time like a Nas would be. So issues will be different if I had them on all the time. I recommend red HDD for Nas as most do for this type of a system any hard rive would be ok,

[@sgtplatano]

TK, simple question, my Western Digital enclosure failed and I took the drives out, I moved the data to 2 8 TB Seagate Ironwolf, I am looking for a solution to put my new drives into in raid configuration (mirrored) do you think I should go with this? I am not interested in NAS, just for downloaded content, thank you

[@DvjMarcosCabrera]

If you install it for the first time does the hard drive have to be formatted?

[@TKBay]

no this will work like a hub for hard drives

[@DvjMarcosCabrera]

@@TKBay thank you so much.

[@SnemanjeporokeEu]

Based how similar this enclosure is to my ICYBOX, my max measured transfer speed is 220 MB/s (with 6TB HGST/WD ultrastar drive).

[@getabhirup]

I need this so much. Thank you TK.

[@TKBay]

thank you for the support

[@douglaspatrick2215]

I need one of these! Where can I get the mounting brackets for the drives? I have several old drives but am missing the brackets to insert them into the bay. If you have a link that would be great!

[@TKBay]

no idea on how to get them other than emailing them. Technical support email: [e-mail]

[@marioberthold3190]

can we put a pocket drive inside ?

[@Ashwekar]

Can this still do software raid and zfs?

[@jamesglover9668]

Thank you 🎉

[@TKBay]

You’re welcome 😊

[@wayneglassglow8251]

Hey is there a solution like this for those older IDE hard drives? I have three 2TB drives collecting dust in a box

[@TKBay]

they don't have one the is all covered up but this dock will work for IDE drives at a good price, amzn.to/2i7wysP

[@SORGIGERMANICO]

can u install ide drives in it

[@TKBay]

Won't fit with the adapter. They might have a model for ide.

[@duckmontreal9255]

Hi TK. What's up? I have a Mediasonic Probox 8 bay, but I use only 4. I have 4 3tb disks, same model, RAID5. I have about 8Tb in these disks. Had one disk failure last week. I replaced the defective disk, but now my iMac doesn't recognize the drive anymore. It's like it doesn't exist. The disks are okay, the enclosure is working fine, no error sign. I'm afraid I will have to reformat the disks and lose all my data. What do you think? Any suggestion? Thanks a lot.

[@jasonelliott7556]

Do you think using this product will work for renting Hard Drive space in the cloud? I am looking into renting "hard drive cloud space" which pays thru EtheriumWallet

[@TKBay]

+Jason Elliott as long as you run it through your PC I till work just get better hard drives. But you need to check your renting platform for they require as hardware first.

[@zora1]

Hey TK a quick question.. is it possible to plug in the external 3.5 hard drives into this NAS by removing them from their casing, secondly, if yes.. then by planting them into NAS do i have to reformat them all which means all the data sotred on them previously would be wiped out is it true?

[@TKBay]

you can install them, and this system does not require you to format the drive to use it. if you computer is compatible with the file system on the drive then you access it as an external drive. only format it if you want to

[@pummisher1186]

I know this is too late but this isn't a NAS. It in no way is a Network Attached Storage device. It's just an internal drive case x4.

[@arataap1512]

nice review, but does this work with 4096 (advanced format) drives ?

[@BoDiddly]

That's not Hardware RAID, but can you do Software RAID with it? Maybe use FreeNAS or UNRAID with it?

[@HillMu1975]

I have been looking for something like this, thanks for the info.

[@TKBay]

very nice. Cheers

[@SmartComputerTMOsminAltamirano]

eso me sirve para un servidor nas trae ya su sistema

[@SmartComputerTMOsminAltamirano]

hola hermano eso trae su propio software para instalar como servidor nas

[@DABOSSPLAYZ]

4 different drives here 1,2,3 and 4 chillin on the corridor

[@TKBay]

Nice

[@RaidenB]

May I ask how long you've had the enclosure? I like products with a record of good build quality and longevity

[@TKBay]

I have been using it everyday for 3 weeks now.

[@Petrucius]

Nice review, thank you! What do you think about the noise is it too loud, or it is tolerable?

[@markowen8725]

I have had this enclosure for 3 years now and to be honest i think it is great. I now have 3 x 8TB drives and a 2TB drive installed. Yes the fan is noisy but it is not the fan itself that is noisy, it is vibration from the way it is installed. It is easily fixed. I had some silicone fan fasteners laying around of which i cut the flat ends off and sat them between the fan and the casing. Vibration all but eliminated and now i can barely hear it.

[@TomColontonio]

Mine won't work with mac and USB 3.0. They sent me a firmware update but I have no clue how to do this :(

[@broderp]

The only thing that looks bad about this is the side power connector and proprietary connector.

[@TKBay]

+broderp very true

[@shadowr2d2]

This Was A Very Educational, & Informative Video.. You Get Right To The Point.. I Like How You Explain.. How You Are Going To Use The Device.. Plus Also Other Ways To Use It.. I'm Thinking About Getting A NAS.. Like Synology For An Example.. This Would Be Real Good.. To Just Get Started.. Since I Would Just Have Games On Steam, & Videos.. Thank You Very Much.. You Have A New Subscriber.. Keep Up The Great Work.. *{MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU, - ALWAYS}..

[@TKBay]

Thank you so very much for the support and glad to have you on board.

[@tombouie]

Thks

[@hyh42]

this is a good idea, but a bit expensive for me, I have 4x250GB hdd but the price of this box is more than a 4 tb hard drive.... :(

[@TKBay]

+Jerome Hu if you're going to use a 4 terabyte drive for any type of backup system those the hard drives are at least $140 a piece. This box is great if you have the drives already sitting at home for you to be able to repurpose them

[@jneedee]

Mine doesn't load anything and corrupts drives. Worked twice in it's lifetime. Now destroys things.

[@sgvpotter]

anybody else have issues with this disconnecting randomly? anybody find any fixes?

[@Alexey_Belikov]

Beautiful hands!

[@haxxorsheep]

so you put bad harddrives. how is that working for you.

[@Johninadelaide2022]

This looks just like the hotway probox

[@21ZacDUDE]

Format them ahhhhh my OCD is going crazy, no formatting.

[@TKBay]

this model does not have a RAID controller. the next model up does support it. I repartitioned for better data management.

[@TKBay]

I am working on a NAS video that will support RAID

[@21ZacDUDE]

Yea I continued watching the video and noticed you mentioned that so I edited my original comment. Getting a RAID NAS Storage is something on my bucket list.

[@AliRadhi]

you have adnan wa lina anime hehehe good choice my friend

[@TKBay]

Hey, I grew up watching that show.

[@BobRooney290]

these boxes cost more than getting a new big drive to replace the little ones. also, the makers purposefully program in the controller the maximum capacity in TB these enclosures will support, so there is no future proofing. not worth it. if you got a model from a few years ago, chances are the max it supports is 4TB per drive, if that. sadly, i've got one of these older ones from 2 years ago.

[@gdixonfitness]

cool!

[@robertcartier5088]

You lost me at "proprietary power connector"...

[@flashgord2007]

much love ty nice video i'm using the no pc cloning godbless DJFREECAN

[@greatestNothin]

4 GB file...not 4 TB lol.

[@TKBay]

james dempsey yea GB sorry not TB.